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◢◤◢◤◢◤ Circuit 04 ◢◤◢◤◢◤
[ DJ ] ♪... What you say to me?
I can't hear a thing
Try to talk some sense to me,
but I won't listen
I'm what God made of me
Dead To Me by Kali Uchis plays in the background of my pink and glittered bedroom wall, which Grandma thought I would like. It was cute if I was still in my Princess Sofia phase and wore laced-up Knee-high Converse. That was the year 2015 when Big Sean's I Don't F*ck With You song came out, and all I ever worried about was running around with kids in our little neighborhood, making 15-second videos on a platform called Musical.ly.
Now, though, is a completely different world. If my ten-year-old self could see the makeup brushes scattered all over the white vanity mirror and fairy lights surrounding it, I would laugh at myself. But this is a matter of life and death, and time does not appear to be on my side today.
It's the first day of school, for me, and well... I've been staring at myself in the mirror for two hours. I set down the makeup brush and unplug my phone from the charging station beside the bathroom door, careful not to get my uniform dirty in the process.
Woah... I look like those girls from White Chicks.
I check myself in the full-body mirror one last time, a few curses flying out of my mouth when I notice how tightly my lipids are compressed to the point where I am having a hard time breathing.
Of course, it was the wrong size.
My poorly applied 'Clean Girl' inspired makeup look, turned out better than I expected. It looked effortless on the girl I watched on YouTube, but damn was it easier said than done.
I've never been good at these things, but today I decided to go all out because first impressions are vital.
I'm definitely not dressing up in case I run into pretty boy again in the hallways while we stare into each other's eyes and-
I break out of my thoughts, stopping myself from getting too delusional. Scenarios played out better in my head than in the real world. What are the chances I have him in one of my classes? I was certain I would at least be placed in support classes due to my previous academic failures in Chicago.
I throw my hair into a messy bun and clip it back as I throw my brand new clothes on my California king-sized bed. Just as I was about to reach for my handbag and black leather jacket from the back of the wheely chair, Mom struts in unannounced.
"What is taking you so long?" She's already in her usual grumpy mood. "You're going to have to take the bus if you don't hurry up."
I retrieved my sneakers from beneath the bed. The uncomfortable loafers we had to wear are still in my bag, and I'm not going to take them out until I get to school.
"I thought Grandma was taking me."
"She left an hour ago while you were blasting music and acting as if you had all day to sit in front of that mirror." Mom sneered as she leaned against the doorframe. "Carlos is waiting outside."
"Great," I gleamed as I made my way down the stairs with my phone in hand and my bag in the other. "See ya!"
"Put that jacket on, Young Lady! I can almost see your underwear!" Mom shouted disapprovingly from behind me on the top of the stairs.
I giggled to myself and swayed my hips notably to annoy her even more. "I'll think about it."
"What did you say?"
"I said I love you!"
"Walk a little faster! You're an hour late."
"I have to make an entrance somehow!" I laughed and pushed on the wooden doors, where I was greeted by a familiar face.
"Woah, Ricardo? What are you doing here?"
The old man's smile was as bright as the morning sun. "Buongiorno. I will be taking you to school today."
I look around the driveway but don't see Carlos. My eyes almost popped out of their sockets when I don't spot the Range Rover, which I got the pleasure of riding in, but with the latest McLaren 765LT. Holy shit. It looks even better in real life!
"Shall we—"
I don't even wait for him to get on the driver's side when I practically march around the car with an open mouth, admiring the all-black clean finish. This is a dream supercar for most.
"This is unbelievable..." I whispered audibly, making sure I did not touch it without his permission and knowing how others feel when their cars are being touched. It's one of my pet peeves.
"How many cars do you own?" I asked, and Ricardo walks to my side, laughing to himself when he notices me almost falling back.
"Hmm, just this one, the Maybach... and a vintage car passed down from my father."
"Wow, that one must be the most valuable to you."
"It sure is." Ricardo smiled as he repositioned his hat on his head. Today, he appears more human to me, wearing a shirt (though it is still expensive) tucked into brown trousers and a pair of cowboy boots.
"What are you waiting for? Let's get going and catch eyes with this bad boy," Ricardo said as he twirled the keys around his fingers. I couldn't help but break out into a huge grin at his idea.
He's just like me, for real.
When I go to the passenger's side, Ricardo stops me. I look up in time to find him tossing the keys to me. I catch it in my hands and gape at him in disbelief. "Why...are you giving this to me?" I question him even when I already knew what he was about to say.
He tipped his hat in my direction before hopping in the passenger's seat. "Show me what you've got, little Hamilton."
I join him and duck my head with a laugh. Sparkles were practically dancing in my eyes as I drifted them around the interior while my fingers traced the intricate designs I would kill for. The small cabin was customized with a mix of soft-grain leather and faux-suede upholstery. Compared to my modified Monte Carlo, this didn't have as much leg room.
"I can't believe I'm driving a $300,000 sports car." I whispered, "My friends back home wouldn't believe me if I told them."
My excitement was palpable as I drove out of the driveway and into the streets of Los Angeles. I caught a glimpse of Ricardo, who was amusingly nodding his head.
"As long as you don't get me in trouble with Adriana."
"Are you kidding? She'd never let me out of the house again if she knew about this." Ricardo laughs and his raspy voice fills the car.
"Aren't you worried I'll wreck it?" I asked as we rounded a corner. I was unfamiliar with the streets, but with Ricardo's help, we were soon approaching Whitehaven.
"I know you won't. Your Grandma boasts about you whenever she has the chance to," Ricardo mumbled.
Why did I think she'd keep it a secret between us?
"Don't worry," he says as if he recognized the expression on my face. "She's not against it. She even wishes to see you on the track one day."
"She said that?" My frown slowly turned into a small smile.
Ricardo returns my hopeful gaze with a reassuring nod. I can't believe I thought he'd be a snobbish, wealthy old man when I first heard about him from Grandma. Since I arrived here and got to know this side of him, my opinion has completely changed. His children must consider themselves extremely fortunate to have him as a father.
I feel at ease knowing Grandma is in good hands.
As I return my gaze to the front, the campus comes into view. I sigh heavily and look around at the massive Redwood trees that surround us.
"Yeah, I want that too..." I let out. "You'll keep this between us, right?" I asked, hoping he wouldn't mention anything about my side hustle to my mother.
Ricardo smiles warmly as he turns to face me and juts out his pinky. "Do kids still do this nowadays?"
I glance at it for a moment before finally connecting my right pinky to his.
"You should have seen his face! I thought he was going to turn into a tomato." I try to concentrate on what I'm reading as Kade recalls what happened last Friday.
It was a Monday again and we were standing in the hallway to put our belongings away before passing period.
Being on top of my academics, I had the privilege to leave my class early before it was my turn to help out at the library.
I didn't mind it because I spent most of my free time reading and having some time alone. Aside from the café, my favorite place to hang out was the library. Not only that but I was given extra credit for helping out in the library.
The only time I get annoyed is when Kade and Russell come in to disturb my peace and force me to do stupid things with them.
"Kade, will you shut up about it already?" I raise my head from my book, annoyed. Russel is standing to my left, silently listening to whatever nonsense Kade is feeding him.
"I have never seen Theo blush before, except—" Kade stops himself.
My forehead crumples with dissatisfaction.
"He blushed?" I'm even more annoyed that this topic intrigues Russell. Nothing ever piques his interest. Well if you count ruthless video games of blood and war.
"Stop talking as if I'm not here," I said with a deep scowl.
"Who's the unfortunate girl?" Russell asked as I narrowed my eyes at Kade, who loudly chews his bubblegum.
"No one-"
"Her name is Ola," Kade tells him with a smirk. I keep my cool and shut my locker with a thud that echoes through the walls. Students are slowly making their way to their classes with only five minutes left of break.
"As in the word for 'hello' in Spanish?" Russell muttered.
I fight the urge to smack both of them in their heads and let out a frustrated sigh.
"Well no—" Kade pauses to look at something behind me. Then he mumbles something before pushing past my shoulders. Russell and I both turn our heads only to find the same girl from last week.
She's enrolled here?
"Who is that?" Russell muttered next to me. I'm not sure what's causing my heart rate to spike and my face to warm. I look at the girl as her eyes widen when finally sees Kade pushing through the crowd. She looks confused for a second before stopping and returning Kade's embrace.
He barely even knew the girl, but he acts like they'd been friends forever.
"I don't know, ask him," I responded flatly, forcing my feet to move. I needed to get to class undetected, but how could I when she was heading in the same direction?
"Forget it. I lose brain cells every time he opens his mouth." Russell hissed and I shake my head at his words. To a stranger, it was difficult to imagine the three of us as friends. We had different personalities that seemed to clash more than not. We had nothing in common, apart from being, well...boys.
I was about to reach for one of my books to cover my face, but it seems like the universe is always conspiring against me when I come face to face with a smirking girl.
"We meet again, pretty boy," She said with a playful grin as she hung her headphones around her neck.
I was unable to maintain eye contact, and my gaze was drawn to her in her uniform, which I frequently see on other female students. I've seen it a million times in my time at this school, but it's never looked this good. The glow on her face and the light brown eyeliner on her eyes emphasized her dark eyes even more, and I couldn't help but feel flustered.
I froze in place, practically sweating from nervousness, as her eyes shamelessly scanned me from head to toe as if we were the only ones here. "How was your weekend?" she inquired but doesn't let me answer. "Mine was good but it could have been better."
"Well, well, who do we have here?" When Russell unexpectedly interrupts, my body returns from the brief pause. I raise my brows at him. He never talks with anyone outside of our group.
"Well, hello to you too, another pretty face- gosh I feel like I'm in heaven or something," she mumbles something under her breath that I could not discern.
Russell, who was quiet beside me up until now, nods his head. I narrowed my eyes at him. He's acting... unusual.
"Ola, this is Russell, and Russell this is Ola. She was recently transferred here." Kade said as he looks my way, I avert my gaze and awkwardly fiddled with the strap of my bag.
"I have to get to class," I cleared my throat and was ready to walk away when Ola steps in front of me, almost bumping into my chest. My body tenses up when she stands on her toes and whispers something against my ear.
"I'll catch you later," she softly mumbled, her warm breath tickling my earlobe and sending chills up my spine.
She smirks and quickly pulls away as if she hadn't just invaded my personal space a second ago. "I have to meet with the Headmaster. Ciao!" She waves her arms at us, specifically at me.
"I'll save you a seat at lunch!" Kade exclaimed cheerfully. My gaze never leaves her, and when she catches me staring, the side of her pink lips lifts. Crimson paints my cheeks when she flashes me a subtle wink that the guys didn't catch when they were too busy arguing about something.
"Keep the seat next to pretty boy empty!"
"Will do!" Kade shouted back in a giggle.
I was finally able to relax when she finally disappeared inside the elevator.
"Isn't she the sweetest cotton candy?" Kade's strange intonation makes my face twist.
"Dude, what the fuck?" Russell appeared to be equally perplexed. "I'm not an expert or anything, but I don't think you should be saying things like that in front of me when you're dating my sister." He flashed him a death stare.
"It's only weird if you make it weird!"
"When do you guys ever stop..." I huffed as I made my way to class, leaving them behind of their own accord.
"Miss Sainz, please take a seat." The Headmaster said and I take the seat in front of his desk. He returns to his chair after closing the door behind him.
My legs cross unconsciously as I watch him adjust the round glasses resting on his nose. The Headmaster was a slender man in his early fifties who supposedly is known throughout the town for the strict rules he imposed over the years. I don't know much about it, but I heard that students were not permitted to have relationships with the opposite sex, even if they were as simple as holding hands.
I was curious as to how much of it was true, or if it was true at all.
"I'm guessing you already have a clue on why you're here right now," he began with a serious tone, pressing his lips together.
"Am I already getting kicked out?" I gave him a blank stare.
I had no idea why he called me in here when I'm supposed to be in my Algebra class. "I mean, it's just my first day. I have so much potential, you'd be missing out on-"
"Ms. Sainz," he interrupted. "That's not the reason why I called you in here." He brought out a manila folder from a drawer and placed it on his desk for me to see.
Oh, shit. This just got serious.
I sat up on my seat and gave him an empty look on my face. I'm about to fall asleep. "Uh, so... should we skip to the fun part?"
"As you can see, I had a look at your past transcript from your previous school in Chicago." He pointed the tip of his pen on the first line printed on the fine paper. "It says unsatisfactory, below average—"
"Okay, I get it," I stopped him. "I think that's enough, Mr. Brown. What exactly do you want to talk to me about?"
"You failed all of your math classes from freshman year to junior year," he tells me something I was not proud of.
It's not my fault. My brain was functioning normally until high school algebra introduced letters. Aside from that, I had no desire to memorize equations that I would never use in my daily life.
"I'm aware," I said as I peered out the window behind him.
The leaves and trees in California were as green as ever, and machinery was strewn about the schoolyard. With no gates or fences, anyone who had trouble in their mind could walk in and out at any time. But then again, this neighborhood wasn't like back home.
When he clears his throat, I snap out of my trance.
"That's why I'm here, Ms. Sainz. I know you're a good student, and it appears that this is the only class in which you're struggling," The Headmaster said as I gave him a small nod of my head. "Normally, I wouldn't do this...but you don't have enough time," My ears perked up in anticipation. "You must complete enough credits to graduate in two months. So I've assigned a tutor to assist you in getting back on track."
"A tutor?" I couldn't hide my frustration. I expected something much more... enjoyable. But what did I expect? Nothing about school is enjoyable. "Can't I help out in the cafeteria or something?"
"Ms. Sainz," his tone lowers. My shoulders slump as I uncrossed my legs to prepare to leave. "This isn't negotiable. You do not get to choose how you earn your credits. You can't expect me to be lenient when I'm already being generous by offering. You can either accept it or not."
My hand was already on the doorknob when I came to a halt in front of it. "Don't make this any difficult for yourself."
With a heavy breath, I turn my head around. He looks at me as if he was saying "That's what I thought".
"Fine," I quietly muttered, ignoring the bitter taste in my mouth. "Who is she?"
"He," He corrected with a smile on his face as if he was pleased to see me swallow my pride.
My brows furrowed.
"He?"
"Yes, a student requested to help out in exchange for my letter of recommendation."
"Okay," I replied, nonchalantly as if having someone of the opposite sex did not affect me when all I could think about was whether or not they were attractive. I would hate staring at someone unattractive for hours on end. "When do I meet him?"
"Ah! Perfect timing," Mr. Brown exclaimed as he moved his eyes from the watch around his wrist. "Theo Lauder is waiting for you in the library."
Theo Lauder?
I mentally repeated the unfamiliar but appealing name. I hoped he looked as attractive as his name.
"And Ms. Sainz?" The Headmaster mumbled as I was about to leave the room. "Everything we talked about stays in this room."
I gave him a sarcastic smile and made a motion with my thumb and pointer finger.
"Of course, my lips are sealed," I said before marching out of the Headmaster's office.
I passed by the same girl I first saw on my first visit here, who was busy drooling at the reception desk with a book in front of her. I quickly made my way through the deserted halls and popped a bubblegum-flavored lollipop in my mouth.
With a satisfied hum, I skipped down the stairs and into the library. The widely opened doors greeted me with the sign 'YOUR MANNERS ARE APPRECIATED.' I rolled my eyes at it before entering.
It wasn't a surprise to see it almost empty considering students were in class. However, as I walked further inside, my eyes were caught by a figure seated in the corner with the person's - very muscular back turned to me.
Books were laid out in front of him as his long veiny hands stretched themselves. I tilt my head, excitement painted on my face as I let my eyes wander to this stranger's neck and the lengthy silver chain around it. I could tell he had a bigger build based on the white dress shirt firmly clinging to his body like second skin.
His long legs were spread apart under the small table as if he was feeling uncomfortable sitting in such limited space.
Oh the things I could do with those thighs...
He begins to fiddle with the ends of his cufflinks, rolling and re-rolling them down his wrist until he settles on rolling them up. The constant tapping of his feet against the carpeted floor diverted my attention. Too impatient, I grabbed my bag and straightened my skirt.
Despite the cold air coming in through the windows, my leather jacket keeps me warm as I reach the table with a genuine shock on my face.
I was yet again met with grey eyes, but this time they were hidden behind round glasses, and he appears to be reacting in the opposite way that I did. He was expecting someone.
I looked around to see if anyone else was waiting for me, but all I found was an elderly lady behind the front desk with a sewing kit in front of her.
"Oh, hey, I didn't know it was you," I mumbled, unsure if I was in the wrong spot at the wrong time. "I'm supposed to be meeting someone."
I returned my gaze to the same boy I'd been admiring since I arrived, and he looks up at me with a soft tint on his cheeks and a frown on his lips. I raise my arms defensively, "I swear I'm not stalking you or anything." I said, feeling the need to clarify myself.
It was so unlike me to feel nervous in front of a boy, but I couldn't help myself when he looked at me innocently. I was torn between being adamant about showing my interest in him and coming across as an obsessed fan girl.
As if he was embarrassed about something, he looks away and removes his reading glasses, stuffing them back in his messenger bag.
He finally clears his throat and quietly mumbles;
"I, uh... I'm your tutor."
So, he was expecting me.
"You're what?"
"I will be your tutor for the rest of the semester."
Fuck me.